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There have long been two business models that organizations can use to obtain software – buy commercial-off-the-shelf software or build your own. Many years ago, those who built their own software began sharing it, and this has evolved into today’s Open Source business model. Both the Open Source model and the Commercial model offer different options, different trade-offs and different means for organizations to get access to the tools they need to get their work done and solve the challenges they face. Yet, all too often the choice of technology is made by looking overly simplistically at only one consideration. Open Source components (and Commercial solutions for that matter) should not be selected blindly because they’re “cheaper”, but because they offer compelling advantages in terms of interoperability and flexibility. Esri, like many software vendors, not only leverages many Open Source components within their product offerings, but also contributes over 30 projects back to the Open Source community. This talk will explore some thoughts and considerations on the many ways organizations can leverage the best of Open Source components and the best of Commercial solutions for the technology advantages they provide. Open Source and Commercial software can be used together to build the best possible solutions, and here’s the road map.

With 25 years of experience in geomatics, Chris North is anaccomplished GIS professional who brings an in-depth understanding ofenterprise GIS and technology trends to Esri Canada customers. In 2014, Chrisreturned to Esri Canada from his own independent consulting firm where heworked... Read More →